Carolina Panthers: Kyle Allen provides much-needed time for Cam Newton
Kyle Allen performed quite well in relief of Cam Newton, giving the Carolina Panthers necessary time to let their starting quarterback heal.
Entering a Week 3 game against the Cardinals, things may have seemed relatively bleak for the Carolina Panthers. They were 0-2 to start the 2019 season and, to worsen the matter, they were going to be starting Kyle Allen at quarterback with Cam Newton sidelined due to a foot injury (and perhaps some other lingering ailments).
Any doom and gloom mentality quickly dissipated on Sunday watching Allen at the helm of the Panthers offense, though. Allen was phenomenal at the helm of the offense — better than Newton had been in the first two weeks — and ultimately led Carolina to their first victory of the year.
On the day, Allen went 19-of-26 for 261 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Yes, he put the ball on the turf with two fumbles, losing one, but overall, the backup quarterback stepped in and performed much better than anyone could’ve ever hoped for. More importantly, he led the Panthers to a win in a relatively dire early-season situation.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Allen’s performance in his second career start (he started one game at the end of 2018) is quite comforting beyond just Week 3, too. As reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Monday, Newton has already been ruled out for Week 4, meaning Allen will be back at the helm of the offense as they take on the Houston Texans in a road matchup.
What Allen showed in relief puts the Panthers in an ideal situation given their circumstances. It was abundantly clear in Weeks 1 and 2 that Newton was not himself. His throws were off, he looked as if he was laboring and just generally was not an NFL-level starting quarterback. Carolina wasn’t going to be successful with that version of their starting quarterback on the field.
No one should be making the mistake of thinking that Kyle Allen is better than a fully healthy Cam Newton. Any points made in that regard are reactionary and/or hyperbolic. However, Allen is better than a banged-up, substandard version of Newton, which is what matters right now in the Panthers locker room.
Allen being able to successfully run the Panthers offense affords Carolina to take the necessary time to get Newton back to 100 percent. Even if Allen is not facing a lacking Cardinals secondary every week, he showed enough for the coaching staff to have faith in him, especially with weapons like Christian McCaffrey, Curtis Samuel and Greg Olsen supplementing him.
Subsequently, the Panthers now have an option at quarterback to potentially not lose ground in a wide-open NFC South race while Newton heals from his various ailments. As such, when Newton does return, he can lead the charge towards a potential playoff spot.
Next. NFL Power Rankings: Jones ignites Giants, Packers perfect. dark
Again, Allen is not going to take over for Newton and, in truth, we may have seen the best single-game performance he has in the tank. At the same time, though, he’s clearly competent enough to start for as long as the Panthers need him to until a fully effective version of Newton is able to return to the field. That, without question, is a blessing for Carolina.